After facing a career slump in the late 2010s, Bobby Deol made a remarkable comeback with Prakash Jha’s 2020 series ‘Aashram’. The idea of playing a spiritual leader would have been unthinkable in the late 90s and early 2000s, when he had A-list status. Today, Bobby has reinvented himself as an attractive villain with performances in films like ‘Animal’ (2023), ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ (2025) and the upcoming ‘Alpha’ and ‘Jana Nayagan’.
Why was Bobby Deol in doubt?band ‘?
when Anurag Kashyap Offered the crime thriller ‘Bandar’, Bobby felt that the film might be too far in terms of experimentation. At first, he refused to take on the role of a failed TV actress accused of rape by his ex-girlfriend. He sought his family’s opinion, and they were equally impressed, as the role was unusually dark for someone like Bobby. His father was the late, legendary Dharmendraafter all it pushed him to take the step. Dharmendra recalled how he too faced doubts and skepticism in the 1960s when he chose to explore unconventional films at the height of his stardom.
How did Dharmendra guide Bobby Deol’s decision?
According to SCREEN, Bobby was initially a bit doubtful whether he could pull off the role of ‘Bandar’. Veteran actor Dharmendra told her that actors can’t be shy, “Though I have done unconventional roles in Satyakam, Anupama and Dillagi. Go take a chance.”
Bobby Deol relied on Dharmendra’s unconventional legacy
Those words convinced Bobby to go ahead and accept the role. Drawing on his father’s experience, Dharmendra himself embraced unconventional films like Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s ‘Anupama’ (1966) and ‘Satyakam’ (1969), along with Basu Chatterjee’s little-known romantic comedy ‘Dillagi’ in 1978, with Malini playing her future opposite Hema.
Bobby Deol’s moving tribute to Dharmendra
Bobby fully showed his admiration for ‘Dharmendra’ when he accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of his late father at the Chetak Screen Awards last month. “He worked in this industry for so many years, he saw good times and bad times, but he never gave up. Wherever I go and everyone I meet, I get so much love because my dad opened people’s hearts to us, my brother (Sunny Deol) and our family,” said an emotional Bobby.
